Unit 10 Section A

The Bermuda Triangle Phenomenon

I. Pre-reading Activities:

Background Information

The Bermuda Triangle

It should be pointed out that the U.S. Board of Geographic Names does not recognize the Bermuda Triangle as an official name. The “Bermuda or Devil’s Triangle” is an imaginary area located off the southeastern Atlantic coast of the United States, which is noted for a high incidence of unexplained losses of ships, small boats, and aircraft. The apexes（顶点）of the triangle are generally accepted to be Bermuda, Miami, Fla., and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The Graveyard of the Atlantic

Over 600 ships have been wrecked along this treacherous stretch of coast since the 16th

century, and a few remain visible at times on the beaches. David Stick’s

Graveyard of the Atlantic,Shipwrecks of the North Carolina Coast gives detailed accounts of these and other tragedies that were a daily occurrence.U.S. Navy

The U.S. Navy was founded on 13 October 1775, andthe Department of the Navy was established on 30 April 1798.

4. Charles Berlitz

Charles Berlitz is the grandson of Maximilian Berlitz, founder of the famous language schools. His book, The Bermuda Triangle, published in 1974,

popularized the idea of a deadly region of the ocean into which planes and ships ventured at their peril.5. Atlantis

It is said that over 11,000 years ago there existed an island nation located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, which was the domain of Poseidon, god of the sea. When Poseidon fell in love with a mortal woman, Cleito, he created a dwelling at the top of a hill near the middle of the island and surrounded the dwelling with rings of water and land to protect her. The city of Atlantis sat just outside the outer ring of water and spread across the plain covering a circle of 11 miles (17

km).Questions & Answers

1. Have you ever heard of the Bermuda Triangle? What have you heard about it?Yes. I’ve heard of it before. The Bermuda Triangle phenomenon began in 1918

with the sailing of a grand ship called the Cyclops. On its way to Baltimore, Maryland, the Cyclops seemingly vanished. The United States Navy sent out search ships but they were unable to find a trace of the ship or any survivors. Over the next 50 years, more than 40 ships and 20 airplanes were lost in this area, from private crafts to United States Navy and Air Force vessels. So among sailors, it is known as “the Graveyard of the Atlantic” or “the Devil’s Triangle”.2. Why does the author use the term “the Bermuda Triangle Phenomenon”?

It is called the Bermuda Triangle because it refers to an area in the Atlantic Ocean which lies between the islands of Puerto Rico and Bermuda and the coast of Miami, Florida in the United States. Rather than describing a boom in tourism